We believe that we have a strong curriculum that is varied and meets all of our needs, levels, and interests. Below are a few highlights to the programs that we are implementing.
Language Arts: Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) by Amplify is a strong literacy program that we believe will support and challenge our youngest readers. Highlights of the CKLA program are listed below.
Structured Learning: CKLA provides an explicit, systematic approach to teaching reading and language arts. It integrates phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing skills in a coherent and sequential manner thereby ensuring that each concept spirals upon previous learning.
Rich Content Knowledge: This curriculum emphasizes the importance of building content knowledge and background information. Through engaging stories and informational texts, students will explore a variety of topics that span from science and history to literary and the arts. These texts are designed to enrich student understanding and to spark curiosity about the world.
Engaging Materials: CKLA includes a diverse range of high-quality texts and interactive materials that capture students’ interests and motivate them to read and write. The curriculum’s design encourages active participation and helps students to develop critical thinking skills.
Writing: Amplify CKLA’s explicit writing instruction is connected to the knowledge building text sets explored during your child’s reading lessons. Students practice narrative, opinion/argumentative, and informational/explanatory writing using supportive scaffolds and organization tools such as graphic organizers and timelines.
Assessment and Support: Regular assessments will help teachers to monitor your child’s progress in order to provide timely, targeted reinforcement and enrichment opportunities. Our goal is to ensure that every student achieves their full potential.
Family Involvement: We recognize that your involvement is critical to your child’s success. CKLA provides family resources for supporting your child’s literacy development including regular updates about topics your child is studying and suggested pathways for extending their learning at home. We are confident that CKLA will provide a solid foundation for your child’s literacy skills and contribute to their overall academic success. More information about the CKLA curriculum, please follow these two links: CKLA Brochure and Early Literacy Suite Information which details the program.
At the middle school, we have implemented the EL Curriculum. The EL curriculum is based on the Science of Reading, including structured phonics, which empowers all student to read complex grade level texts and master literacy standards. EL builds a deep knowledge by using content-rich, authentic texts on real-world topics in social studies, STEM, and literature. Students build habits of character that help them contribute to a better world.
Development of Research Curriculum, K-12: Our library-media specialists are collaborating to create an approach to teaching research that will build sequentially as students progress through the grades. The emphasis will be on building skills in the following areas:
- Developing topics and thesis statements inspired by curiosity and passion
- Locating accurate sources of information from a variety of media
- Extracting and recording relevant information
- Organizing and presenting findings
- Evaluating the process and the product
The media specialists will be working with the teachers of science, social studies, and language arts to integrate their lessons on research, and they will continue to refine their curriculum.
Math: At the elementary level we have implemented Innovamat The program is a researched based, high quality program that helps teachers develop student thinking. Their mission is to craft accessible math learning experiences based in math education that fosters conceptual understanding and student thinking. Innovamat aims to develop problem solving, connections, communication, and reasoning skills in learners.
The middle school math program is Big Ideas. The Math & YOU curriculum sparks curiosity and encourages students to make instructional connections that enhance their deeper-level understanding of mathematics and its relevance, preparing them for success in high school and beyond. The program's conceptual framework, combined with a focus on math in everyday life and careers, creates passionate mathematics students engaged in their own learning journeys.
In addition, advanced students have the opportunity to take Algebra I and Geometry during middle school.
The high school offers your traditional courses of Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus. In addition, they will offer Statistics, Exploration in Data Science, and Multivariable Calculus. We have foundational levels through AP, depending on the course.
Science: In elementary school we use Mystery Science. Mystery Science is an innovative standards aligned, hands on curriculum that teaches students how to think like scientists. The phenomena-driven instruction helps kids to better understand and communicate about the world around them through writing, discussion, and exploration.
In 5th grade the students use Discovery Science. Students engage in action-packed journeys to make sense of phenomena all year long. By following real-world storylines with an intentional sequencing of activities, students are motivated to ask important questions, plan investigations, use evidence-based reasoning to support their claims and solve problems.
At the high school students have the traditional course work of Integrated Science, BIology, Chemistry and Physics. In addition, we offer courses such as CASE Environmental Science, Geology, Oceanography, Emerging Diseases, Genetics, Astronomy, Anatomy & Physiology, and Forensic Science. Many of these courses have honors and AP levels.
Making Social Studies Real and Relevant
The world is a complex place - politically, economically, geographically, and culturally. Our Social Studies curriculum gives our students an understanding of that world and the inspiration to make a difference in it.
- A focus on active citizenship in which students research real issues on a local, state, or national level and make their voices heard
- An increased focus on geography.
- An increased focus on economics. All grade levels will include a developmentally appropriate discussion of economic issues. The high school will require a 2.5 credit course on personal finance and will also explore the possibility of having a local bank set up a branch in the cafeteria.
- An increased focus on current events.
- Online resources are purchased when needed to support the curriculum and the state standards
World Language: We offer Spanish in grades K-8. In high school we offer Spanish, Italian, French, and Latin. All world languages can be pursued through the AP level.